


Faster Than Live

by Konoline



Category: Love Live! School Idol Project, Love Live! Sunshine!!
Genre: Alternate Universe - Space, F/F, It's vaguely FTL inspired but with different alien races because I don't even like most of them
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-03-06
Updated: 2017-08-12
Packaged: 2018-09-29 21:26:42
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 11
Words: 10,573
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10144646
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Konoline/pseuds/Konoline
Summary: A collection of (vaguely) FTL inspired Space Travel AU drabbles!





	1. The escape - Chika

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> New thing? New thing, these are probably not going to be long and a bit self indulgent.  
> AKA Space girls and their alien buddies/enemies
> 
> 14-3 Edit: If you're interested, here's a bit of [backstory](http://konolines.tumblr.com/post/158329656550/the-state-of-the-universe)   
> I suggest reading it because some terms may pop up. (it does not spoil anything!)

Chika took her gun off her belt, alarms blaring outside of her pitch black escape pod. Through the small window she could see the red alarm lights going off in the dark. A tall alien shape standing in front of her ships AI, too far away for her to properly identify it as any creature described in her handbook. The electricity on the ship was mostly turned off, the alarms were only on because they couldn’t be turned off when the rest of the electricity was gone. Chika wondered why this mysterious boarder was still messing around with her ship’s computer, it wasn’t going to turn on without scanning Chika’s hand.

Clutched in Chika’s hand was a small metal box, in there was what her superiors told her to keep safe. No matter the cost. Chika had been on the run for several months now, hiding from several ships from an alliance she didn’t know. She hoped they gave up the chase after she passed the forty-fourth solar system, but here she was. Chika’s makeshift ship wasn’t meant for long distance travel and broke down in a solar system that had no planets up for contact. Using her distress signal was suicide, so she had been stuck for several days now. This was going to be the end of her escapades though, maybe if she was lucky she’d survive this boarding and she could send her escape pod down to the nearest planet. She’d bury this godawful box and die there. Maybe it was an uninhabitable planet and she’d die burying it, maybe if she was unlucky she’d end up staying there for the next few decades. Whatever was going to happen next, she would be remembered as a hero back home, dying to keep valuable information safe from invaders. Or a fool, clinging onto a mission from which she knew there was no return.

Chika shifted slightly, shoving a new magazine into her severely outdated gun. The alien had begun to walk away from the ship’s main computer, it’s eerily long legs making soft clicking noises. It yelled some order in a tongue Chika did not know, tapping her foot impatiently as she fiddled with something, the alarms flashing on and off were starting to give Chika more anxiety than she already had. A smaller, yet similar looking, alien walked out of the cargo room empty-handed. They must’ve been looking for her, the smaller alien had a four legged creature with her. They were all tinted red in the ship’s alarm lights, beyond their shapes there was very little that Chika could actually recognize. A singular horn on the weird long legged bipedal aliens. The four legged thing looked in her direction, three eyes staring just past her. 

Chika ducked below the window of her pod, hoping it couldn’t see her through the tinted glass. Her smell should be gone, she left the air locks open when she turned off the computer. The pod still had enough for several weeks, Chika was going to be fine in here. If she weren’t to be discovered of course, her last magazine contained three paralyzing shots. There was no way she could win a fight her and escape. They were meant to catch her after she reached the third solar system, they’d take the box and dump her on some planet to die. Chika sighed, feeling how sweaty her hands were for the first time. More orders came from the small group of aliens, and then a periodic beeping.

A bomb, they were going to blow up her ship. Chika thanked every deity she remembered that she had installed an escape pod on her ship. But there was no time to lose, Chika began pushing buttons and pulling levers, until a screen flashed a bright blue. The pod released miraculously after the screen lit up, Chika never even tested the thing. Having an unregistered, homebuilt ship was risky but maybe it was also the only reason she was here, about to fly to her grave. 

The planet below her was larger than the earth-like planet she once lived on, rich in blues and greens. It looked habitable, not like she had much choice in whether she could breathe there or not. She pressed one last button and she was shot into space, no signs left of the ship that attacked her. Maybe they were pirates after all, and she was no longer being trailed by whoever attacked her home. 

The ship exploded before she even reached the planet, now she was truly stuck on this planet. ‘XG08-309FG-8’ her navigation read, the code meant very little to her now. Breathable atmosphere, intelligent life forms present. Chika watched the planet’s features become more and more defined as she got closer, no matter how often she travelled between planets, it was always amazing to see a planet up close. If she were to die here, at least she’d die on a beautiful planet...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> :3c


	2. Into the abyss - Dia & Ruby

Dia slammed her fist on the steering wheel of her ship. Next to her Ruby flinched, Dia didn’t care about it for once. Never before had she failed this badly at what should’ve been the simplest mission of her life. Track down an unworthy ship, take the research that the pilot carried with them. Use any force necessary, and blow up the ship when she was done. The ship was easily found, harder to track due to it being unregistered and it’s pilot pushing the thing beyond it’s limit when Dia was not looking. Eventually that ship gave out, not to Dia’s surprise.

Yet the ship was deserted when she boarded with Ruby. Not even the Nightbeast could find a single trace of life on the ship. Either the pilot changed ships… Or they were floating somewhere in several thousand pieces in an empty solar system. Whichever of the two it was, Dia had failed her mission. If if was the latter… Tracking a pilot whose face and name were unknown to her was going to prove impossible, but knowing the Emperor… They’d rather send her out to search for a speck of dust in the universe than order her to come back to Gemma. Dia didn’t know if Ruby was even aware of this, this was all going to be a blow to her. Their first mission together and she lead her sister into immediate failure, what a role model she was.

“Incoming message from The Emperor.”

The AI message resonated within the ship. 173-Kurosawa: a small, yet well equipped tracking vessel. It was given to Dia for her excellent records throughout her training, large enough for a crew of four, yet Dia had only ever worked solo until this mission. Ruby looked expectantly at the screen that flickered to life, her ears perked up when the face of the Emperor appeared. Dia could only scowl as she saw their face. The Emperor’s face was dark and hard, the face of a man that left fear in the heart of any that faced him long enough. His horn was a shining, translucent golden color, matching his eyes.  

“You’ve failed. I did not expect such news from a mission I personally assigned to you, Kurosawa.”

Dia sighed, feeling like she had to apologize to this pre-recorded message. Ruby looked at Dia with wide eyes, Dia noticed from the corner of hers. She didn’t look back at her sister. This message wasn’t meant for her, not yet.

“The ship is gone with it’s pilot, but so is the data I sent you to retrieve. A grave failure, but I have a new mission for you, see it as a chance for redemption. Fail this and I will have a tracker sent after you and your sister.”

Dia knew this was just a gentle way of saying they were going to end up being blown to pieces with their ship. The Emperor didn’t tolerate failures.

“But don’t worry, this is a simple mission.”

This was also a simple mission, Dia thought. The Emperor was most likely going to tell them to go to the Nothing at the center of the universe and reach the Golden City within. A suicide mission, that is what a ‘simple mission’ after a failure was. It might be easier to just ask for the trackers to be sent now, if Dia had been here alone she would’ve responded with that and wait out her punishment. But Ruby was here, so she had to listen to what her mission was.

“My daughter has gone missing several years ago. You’ve met her, she always spoke so fondly of you. Bring back Mari and I’ll let you two return to Gemma, you have one year. Good luck.”

The screen turned off again, Dia could feel herself shake. Ruby touched Dia’s arm gently. Dia sighed deeply and looked at her sister for the first time after their return to the ship. Ruby’s eyes were kind, soft, perhaps the most outwardly gentle individual Dia ever saw amongst their species. She shouldn’t be here, tracking down the enemies of The Emperor. She should’ve ignored their parents, started that clothes shop she wanted to have when she was young. Staying out of galactic battles and sneaking through space stations.

Dia gave her the best smile she could manage. She hated to pretend and lie, but making Ruby worry at this point in time was going to help anyone. Nobody on the planet knew where Mari Ohara, the Emperor’s daughter, had left to all those years ago. Dia had been her friend since they were young, but even she was left in the dark. This was far from an easy task, Dia knew they had enough time to dump their ship on a planet and escape from the eyes of the trackers. Nobody was going to find the two of them if they disappeared to a station on the outskirts of an uncontrolled sector of the universe.

“We should go, a year passes quicker than you think.”

Dia flipped on their engines, readying to jump to an undetermined system.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *dia voice* everythings going to be daijoubu ruby


	3. This is how it ends - Honoka, Kotori & Umi

“Kousaka Honoka and Minami Kotori! Just what do you two  _ think _ you’re doing!”

Honoka flinched and turned around, Umi stood in doorway to the ship’s cockpit. Her friend’s face was twisted in an emotion that was a dangerous mix of shock and pure anger. Her fists balled, and Honoka could almost see the heat radiate off her. Well… She had plenty of reason to be angry, Kotori and Honoka had not cleaned up since Umi left them in charge of flying her ship. Food packages and plates were all over the place, the music player was several volumes too high, and neither Kotori nor Honoka was wearing protocol pilot suits. Not to mention that Honoka got grease stains all over the buttons, luckily Umi couldn’t see those from where she stood.

“Sorry Umi-”

“Sorry isn’t going to make the ship clean itself. Kotori, I told you to not let her do this! We’re on an emergency delivery! Can you two behave like actual pilots!”

Kotori smiled awkwardly at Umi and then at Honoka, Umi was right. Though they were ahead of schedule, there wasn’t enough time to fool around. The fate of Earth lay in their hands, if they couldn’t get New Earth to send battleships… Things could get very ugly back home.

“I’ll clean the whole ship when we get to New Earth, promise!” Honoka held her fist over her heart, Umi just shook her head. Honoka knew she wasn’t going to pilot with the control panels in this state.

“Fine, now both of you get changed into proper suits. Kotori, I want you to man the shields. Honoka, the weapons. I don’t want to fail this mission when we are this close to succeeding.”

Kotori and Honoka bolted out of the cockpit before Umi had a chance to really see the damage they did. Sadly, the ship had a very good intercom. 

Manning the weapons was boring work, Honoka had no reason to do anything until Umi or Kotori gave her the signal. Traveling through solar systems with your weapons activated was an act of aggression and could get you and your crew into trouble if a planet’s defense saw it as a threat. So Honoka played games on the large screen that gave her live feedback in case of a battle. She beat a few levels when Umi started to talk on the communication channel again.

“Reaching New Earth in 90 minutes. Honoka, stop playing Mario.”

Honoka rolled her eyes, turning off the game. The live feed was the same as always, stars and emptiness were all she could see. New Earth was in one of the most boring solar systems, there we no dangerous planets or asteroid fields anywhere. Another pair of ships were stationary in the distance, they must be closer to New Earth than expected. Honoka turned to look at the other side of the 360 degree screens. Wait a minute… Those ships didn’t look like New Earth Planetary Defense, they were much larger. Not to mention that they were closing in on their ship.

“Unidentified ships coming in from the east. Should I ready the lasers?”

Umi didn’t respond, but the ships were coming closer. Honoka wanted to press the buttons so bad, but without a signal they would be in the wrong to launch the first attack. Besides, they’d have to break through their two shields first. The unknown ships were now on each side of their ship. Though inactive, their weaponry was very impressive. Honoka could see a small blue dot in the distance of her screen, New Earth was so close.

“Don’t activate the weapons.”

Umi’s message was delivered swiftly, she was nervous. Kotori opened communications with Honoka.

“Do you know what’s going on? We’re still too far away for New Earth to send ships in our direction.”

Honoka couldn’t respond, Umi took over the channel again.

“Those ships are from the same planet as those that are fighting in the space above Earth, they were aware that Earth was going to call for help from New Earth. These are Class-4 warships, we can’t fight them. We have no choice but to go back to Earth, we can’t contact New Earth like this.”

“No way! Umi, can’t you put the ship at full power and just race past them?! We have to get there…” It would be risky, but Honoka was certain that they could pull it off.

“I’m not going to endanger New Earth citizens, not to mention that they have high speed missiles. We’d be blown up before we reached the halfway point.”

Kotori joined in again.

“But… We were so close…”

The two were met with silence from their friend, Umi turned the ship around without another word. Honoka could feel the laughter coming from the ships that intercepted them as they sped away from them. No one spoke for several hours, Honoka paced around in the room she was in, hearing her footsteps echo in the total silence. Picturing Umi with her steeled face, Kotori nervously tapping a key on her keyboard. Eventually she couldn’t take it anymore, pressing the intercom button, Honoka whispered.

“Earth is doomed, isn’t it? We failed and now Earth is going to lose the war.”

At this point they could still run, Honoka did not want to run. Hopefully Kotori and Umi did not want to run either. They’d go back and fight like all hell, and then they’d die without having to live a life of guilt. That or they’d be forced away from the fighting, end up as the only surviving ship from all of Earth’s fleets. There was too much that could still happen in the next few days, and Honoka was not going to back down from any of it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm not the most creative with names


	4. Not exactly what you imagined - Hanamaru & Yoshiko

Hanamaru’s hand hovered over something, it continuously made loud and harsh noises and she wondered what was going on. When she waved it the noise would increase, oh what a curious phenomenon! She certainly did not have this in her room!

“Don’t do that, you’re going to put the ship on lockdown.” 

Yoshiko gently moved her arm away from the beeping part. Her hands were awfully cold, did those spacesuits really keep anyone warm enough? The one Yoshiko gave her was comfortable, but she always felt warm no matter the weather. Her companion’s face was currently displayed the emotion she called anger, maybe she shouldn’t have messed with her equipment. It was her first time on a spaceship though, surely Yoshiko could understand that. Not to mention that this appeared to be a visually based room. Yoshiko was touching another panel which made sense to her, but Hanamaru could only sense what was going on.

The ship started to rumble and Hanamaru felt herself being pressed into the seat. They were moving, but she could not tell where. Everything stopped at the heavy walls, aside from the door there was nothing besides her and Yoshiko. It was unnerving, at least her room had things she could interact with. Though before Yoshiko came nothing responded to her touch, almost as if everything had died.

“Are you ok?” Yoshiko asked, her voice pausing occasionally. “You don’t look so good… Well… I can’t really tell, but if something’s wrong, just tell me or something.”

“I… Can I get some fresh air?” Hanamaru asked. Yoshiko’s arm moved to point at the door.

“Do you need some help?” She was facing her, Hanamaru couldn’t name the face she was making, but she saw it before.

“No, thank you though.” The door opened when she neared it, which was neat. 

Yoshiko’s ship was small. ‘Outside’ was really just a hallway which lead to a couple of other rooms. Everything was small, unlike the ships of grandeur and great conquests that she was told about. A strip of glass broke through the metals of the wall, Hanamaru placed her hands on it. Were there stars out there? Or huge planets in any color one could imagine? Her claws scraped lightly on the glass, space wasn’t as huge and exciting as she was made to believe. It was empty and exhausting. The door opened behind her, Yoshiko stood in the doorway.

Something about the girl that rescued her felt familiar, not unlike the many creatures that visited her. She was shorter than them, with tougher skin… Or rougher, sometimes Hanamaru couldn’t sense the difference between the textures of surfaces. Oh! And her horns, which were the most interesting thing to Hanamaru. Nothing she ever met had horns! She was truly unique to Hanamaru, nothing she ever saw before had horns. But she couldn’t get lost in thought, Yoshiko was still looking her way. There was a short silence before Yoshiko fidgeted and began to speak.

“Do you feel alright? Being in a spaceship can be pretty overwhelming at first.” She scratched the side on her face.

“I don’t know.” She responded in earnest, Yoshiko made very brief humming noise (Hanamaru though it meant approval).

“Heh, I’m glad you’re being honest… You have no idea what Yohane would’ve done if you lied to her… She even decided to take you to the Seer of Stars.”

“The Seer of Stars?” That was the first time she heard of the phrase.

“Yeah! She’s like… The smartest being in the universe! You said you didn’t know who you are or where you came from, right? Well, I bet she knows!” Yoshiko’s chest puffed out ever so slightly, her eyes closed and she was smiling. This Seer of Stars must be a big deal! 

“How far is it to the Seer of Stars? Is she a nice person? Have you met her before? Do you think she knows good stories?” Hanamaru bombarded Yoshiko with questions, she just  _ had _ to know everything now. And listening to stories would distract her from the awful, awful feeling of being inside this ship. Yoshiko waved her hands. 

“One question at a time please! Yohane cannot explain properly if you ask her too much, and I would hate to repeat anything. Besides, we still have plenty of time before we reach her.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hanamaru was inspired heavily by [Gore Magala](http://monsterhunter.wikia.com/wiki/Gore_Magala) and looks a little like [this](http://konolines.tumblr.com/post/158231004090/draconic-maru-for-the-space-au-a-lil-weird-to). I love her a lot. She 'sees' like Magala does, by releasing microscopic hairs she can feel what's around her. Which is why the spaceship weirds her out so much, a lot of it is lightbased and thus relies on vision. Yoshiko's True Appearance remains shrouded in mystery though.
> 
> (sidenote: I'll end up making sketches of what the Kurosawa sisters and Mari's race looks soon)


	5. Never lose hope - Chika

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Heya, while writing this (and another) chapter, I set up some [minor backstory](http://konolines.tumblr.com/post/158329656550/the-state-of-the-universe). It's spoiler free of anything on here AFAIK, I put it up on the first chapter too for new readers.  
> Thank you all so much for sticking with her me here, and I hope you'll continue to enjoy this.

Chika sat atop of her escape pod, watching large white clouds roll past slowly. This planet was far from unpleasant, though being here was the worst experience ever. There was not a single living being here that she could communicate with, and the escape pod’s AI wasn’t nearly as clever as the ones back on New Earth. It didn’t even have any fun games on it. For the past week she had been waiting for someone to respond to her distress signals. But with an unregistered ship and thus virtually no way for anyone to identify her, she could as well give up hope. Anyone that even caught it would just think she was a crashed pirate, and you were to leave crashed pirates to their fate. 

She missed home, her parents and sisters, Shiitake, the neighborhood. She hoped they were all well, and that they didn’t miss her too much. Surely the New Earth Intergalactic Association would have marked her M.I.A. by now. M.I.A. or dead, if the news of her ship’s fate had leaked back to them. Chika shuddered at the idea, better try to stay optimistic. She’d get out of here and go home! And then everyone would be happy again, and she would return the box that started this all. 

Her escape pod beeped, unlike any beep she heard it make before. Did that mean… That someone was responding to her signal? Chika jumped up, her previous worries forgotten as she packed up everything she had. She’d be able to go home… if the ship that was coming for her was friendly. She totally forgot that she could be robbed here! Her gun was still on her belt, loaded in case anything went wrong on the planet itself.

The clouds parted for a white and blue ship to descend, the ship looked of a familiar build yet also not. It was modded, Chika could tell that much. Also her pod’s interface didn’t display anything about the ship: no names, no faces, no planets. It was either a pirate ship, or someone that needed to hide from something. By now it was kicking up heavy winds, landing down the hill on which Chika had been camping. Two figures exited, both fairly short. They looked nothing like the aliens that blew up her ship.

One was human, with black hair and wearing a pink and red spacesuit. Their companion was an orange furred alien, wearing a green suit. No weapons raised, Chika waited for them to get within talking distance.

“Hey, what the hell happened to you?” The human said, the alien was eyeing Chika. “There’s ship debris floating around in space.”

“I got boarded by these weird aliens with horns, they didn’t check for escape pods. I got out of my ship but they placed a bomb… Well, you saw the aftermath.” Chika smiled awkwardly.

The human nodded. “I know who you mean... Are you from Earth?”

“New Earth actually, Takami Chika, I’m a courier there!”

The human sighed, did she do something wrong? “I’m Yazawa Nico, Ex-pilot from Earth. The cat there is Rin, she’s weird but friendly.” 

Rin took in a deep breath. “I’m not weird! Takami, please don’t listen to her!”

“Yeah yeah, go bring Chika’s stuff to the ship.” Yazawa gestured for Chika to come closer. “You’re coming with us, right?”

Was she kidding? Chika was more than willing to come with someone from Earth! They could take her home, and bringing back anyone from Earth was good news for New Earth. After they lost the war, it was assumed that everyone was either dead or captured. Not to mention the stories over the War over Earth, there’d be so much she could learn here.

“Yes! Thank you so so so much for letting me come with you.”

Nico laughed, slapped Chika’s shoulder and then walked up to Rin.

“Hey, I don’t pay you to lounge around!”

“You don’t pay me at all!”

Chika’s thoughts eased, she’d be fine now. Rin and Nico seemed like a fun bunch too, her trip home (or wherever they would take her) was going to be fun.

“Oh, by the way.” Rin walked next to Chika, carrying her old communication system. “We’ve got another person on the ship. She gets a little grumpy if you don’t call her by her title at first… Well, she’s not that grumpy, she just can’t get her feelings across sometimes. I’m getting distracted, our third crew member is also our very own Doctor Nishikino. I hope you two get along.”

Chika could only nod, too busy with carrying her bag of clothes.

 

* * *

 

The interior of the ship was similar to the New Earth ships that Chika had flown in, though larger and a bit less clean looking. Some of the metal had gouges in it, the ship had seen better days. An older, modded Class-3 ship, 5 crew members. Quite impressive, model was probably from five or six years ago. Nico showed her a very dusty room, apologizing for the mess.

“Maki will want to see you soon, just uhh… I guess I can help you clean up while she prepares.”

Nico was a very adept cleaner, combined with Chika’s expertise of cleaning at the inn, they were done before Nishikino walked in, another human. With her was a small floating drone and a laptop, taller than both Rin and Nico (though it wasn’t hard to be taller than Nico), she looked tired. Nico gave her a wave and left the room.

“Hi, Rin told me you have my name already. Doctor Nishikino Maki, I’m just here to run a quick check on your health. We don’t want an outbreak of any sort of disease here. Just sit down, it’s not going to hurt.”

Chika followed her instructions, the drone flew around her. Chika had gone through the process before, it ran a couple of scans and afterwards the results would show up on the laptop. Maki typed away on her laptop, then closed it and gave Chika a small smile.

“You’re doing well for someone who crashed on a planet. No injuries, just a light sunburn and some vitamin deficiency. Nothing that won’t go away with a little time, you’re free to walk around in the ship. I suggest you sleep first, when you wake up you should visit Nico at the control room. She might have some work for you to do here.”

Maki left the room, and then it was all quiet. Chika decided to follow her advice, she hadn’t slept well down there. There was a small control panel for the lights, Chika touched the ‘OFF’ button and then she was left in darkness. The bed was soft, and Chika fell asleep instantly.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was going to be longer at first, but I realized I could reveal some info later as it doesn't impact the story much.


	6. Just there - Rin

“We should reach Otonokizaka soon” Nico said, “Rin you should go to bed.” 

“You sure? You look really tired too…” Rin replied, looking up from the TV. “Things have been really busy lately, huh?”

“I’ll sleep when we land, I never liked spaceship beds and you know it.” Nico rolled her neck, changing the channel constantly. “Also I’m sure that you two lovebirds would like to sleep at the same time for once.”

“I don’t think she’s still awake, she was really tired. She’s been dragging her feet all day, not to mention that she nearly fell asleep during dinner.” Nico snorted at Rin’s description, finally settled on a channel that was airing an idol performance.

Rin didn’t know much about them, but Nico said she always loved them back on Earth. Rin had to admit that the catchy tunes and the perfected dances had their charms. But both were aware that these performances were made for color-oriented species, Nico described the outfits in the best fashion she could but she couldn’t make Rin imagine what she had never seen before. The two listened to the performance, Nico singing along to the group. 

Someone knocked on the door during a commercial break. It couldn’t be Maki, she was authorized to enter this room. It could only be Chika, Nico opened the door for her. She walked in, wearing her blue and gray New Earth suit.

“Hi Chika, did you sleep well?” Rin turned around, resting her arms on the back of her seat, not interested in the square egg maker that was being advertised.

“Yeah, it was a whole change from sleeping in that stiff seat… Thanks again for rescuing me back there!”

“No problem, Nico and Maki are always happy to find fellow humans.” Rin smiled at the girl. “And sometimes they like to rescue Fuzzards too.”

Nico huffed. “You rescued us too many times too, you’re good at dealing with boardings.” 

Chika just smiled awkwardly. “Um… So is there anything I can help with on the trip back home? I don’t want to just sit here and do nothing.”

“I don’t think Maki needs an assistant…” Nico was thinking, whispering several options before shooting them down. “Rin, would you like to have a partner?”

“Oh! I would love that. And I’m sure Maki’s going to like having another regular.” Chika gave the two a confused stare as they snickered. ”Say, Chika. Have you ever boarded a ship before?”

“No! Never, that’s like… A pirate thing, not exactly what we deal with. Nor are we really supposed to, it’s kind of illegal you know.”

“Yeah, but sometimes you gotta do anything to make it out here, you know.” Nico took a deep breath and sighed. “My reputation would be totally  _ ruined _ if it came out that I became a pirate after Earth fell. Maki’s too, though she can claim that she took no part in it.”

“But we don’t kill anyone! We just take what looks valuable and take it back to Otonokizaka to sell it!” Rin gave Chika a bright smile, getting a confused look back. “Don’t worry, I’ll teach you well. What model of gun do you have?”

“Uhh… One that loads both lethal and non-lethal rounds. It’s an older model though, they don’t give out the fancy ones to people with Class 2 licenses.” Chika took it out of its holster. Its model looked a lot like Nico’s gun, just a tad less clunky.

“I think that’ll work, Nico do we still have bullets?”

“No, I guess we can buy some when we’re back at the base. Please go to bed now Rin, I’ll discuss further detail with Chika.”

“Alriiiight, Goodnight you two!”

Rin jumped out of her seat.

“Oh, Rin! One more question.” Chika’s question stopped her before she exited. “Where do you sleep? I only saw two other bedrooms that were in use.”

“Oh, I guess Nico didn’t tell you. Maki and I share a room.” Rin winked, then left. Her ears picked up Nico’s groans as she told Chika that ‘Rin and Maki have been dating for an Earth year now, it’s awful.’

The lights were off when Rin entered her bedroom, she could hear Maki breathe softly. Navigating dark rooms was easy when you had low-light vision, Rin changed into her sleeping clothes and quietly slipped into the bed. 

Not quiet enough, it seemed, as Maki stirred and rolled over to face her. Rin placed one of her fingers on Maki’s nose. Maki muttered something under her breath, then scooted over to bury her face in the fur that wasn’t covered by the loose shirt that Rin wore. Her arms wrapped gently around Rin, who responded by doing the same. 

“You should go back to sleep.” Rin whispered. “You’re like… totally exhausted.”

Maki gave her no response, she just hugged her tighter. It was quiet, pleasant. A difference from racing through the endlessness of space, avoiding recapture and a certain death. Rin closed her eyes, hearing Maki’s breathing slow down again as she fell back asleep. Rin pulled the covers over them again, slowly feeling herself fall asleep in her girlfriend’s arms.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Tags probably spoiled this lol, one of the ships I always wanted to write but never got good ideas for whoops.  
> [More stuff here too](http://konolines.tumblr.com/post/158414929590/an-assortment-of-beans-for-the-space-au-not-so). Sorry for bombarding you all with doodles, I just really enjoy to do the designing/worldbuilding and then don't write it in like the fool I am.


	7. It comes back to you - Dia

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Some slight injury mentions near the end? If it even counts as that.

Dia hated unrecognized Space Stations, they were loud and busy and far too often treated like dumpsters. Though bad, they were good for one thing: hiding. Her ship could still be tracked to the huge city, but finding her and Ruby was like trying to find a rock in a planet’s orbit. Unless they were desperate to kill an exile they would be safe here. There was nothing else to do but work towards buying a modded ship, or making their ship untrackable. Dia didn’t trust the latter, ships from every planet varied and sometimes the smallest tracking device could be overlooked. Which would bring them back to step one, or a zero-gravity grave. 

Dia sold their ship within days, to some desperate feathered lifeforms. If anything it would cause a fake trail and buy them more time to prepare. Dia soon came to regret her decisions, as she was forced to juggle three jobs so Ruby wouldn’t have to overwork herself. They hired a small apartment on the cheapest side of the station, with rooms so small that Dia was grateful that she could only sleep for a few hours when Ruby was at her job. They had no struggles to make ends meet at least. Dia vowed to buy the largest house they could afford once they reached some end of the universe.

It had been half a year now, and Dia feared the worst, she did not contact anyone from her Organization, of course. Jeopardizing their situation was the last thing either of them needed right now. She watched the docks for spaceships at any moment that she could, never seeing one that spelled a certain doom. Dia continued her work, cleaning hotel rooms, and cooking, and serving drinks. Life could definitely be better, but in another year or two they would be free. If or when The Emperor decided to send someone to the planet they would have to disappear. An easy feat now, by now the two sisters knew of the hidden tunnels under the station, finding them there without help would be nearly impossible.

Time passes quickly when you’re constantly busy. Ruby received a promotion at the clothing shop she worked at after a year, while Dia found a permanent, well-paid position at the bar she used to serve drinks at. They were still saving up for a ship, but now they could live more comfortably while they waited, not having to fear unemployment and it’s nasty effects. Not having three jobs to juggle was a relief to both, but Dia’s hands still itched to get out of here, to bring Ruby somewhere where she would be safe. Ruby was just happy to not see Dia collapse weekly because she overworked herself. 

Spaceships still came and went. New faces arrived at the Station every day. There was no shortage of variety, with lifeforms of all shapes, sizes, colors, and organizations pouring in through the large gates of the spaceport. Dia wondered how her ship was doing, maybe they blew it up by now. It didn’t matter, maybe it was better that she couldn’t access it anymore. The ship held many good memories, and it was a gift after all, but she couldn’t risk it just screaming that Dia and Ruby Kurosawa were out here on this Space Station. She shook her head, and turned to go back inside. Her break was over.

It was almost a year after their time was up when trouble started. It didn’t start so much as it crashed down and took her by surprise. They sent Commander Ayase, which was enough for Dia to know that they meant business in making her an example of why failure was no option. 

“Where’s your sister?” There was nothing else to say, Ayase was late already. She caught Dia on her way back from work, the one time that she felt confident that nobody had come for them that day. They were in a dark alley, with Dia’s back to the wall and her ex-Commander blocking the way out.

“My sister was never with me.” Dia replied, praying that they forgot about Ruby back home. Ayase didn’t seem to buy it, and in one swift motion she pressed a small blade against Dia’s neck.

“I’m giving you one more chance, Kurosawa. Don’t waste it.”

Dia steeled herself, then focused her vision on Ayase’s blue eyes. 

“My sister isn’t here. If you don’t believe me, then you can kill me right here.”

Ayase lowered her blade and with of the press of a button the sharp metal shot back into the holder, which she pocketed. Her expression betrayed nothing, but Dia noticed the hesitation when she took out handcuffs. But rather than putting them on, Eli turned her back.

“You have one minute.” No explanation, but Dia knew. She sent a message as fast as she could, explaining what happened and what to do, it broke her heart to leave Ruby like this, but this was the closest thing to mercy that both of them would get. Dia hit send, feeling nothing but dread for her younger sister. Would she be alright on her own? Money wasn’t an issue, together they had saved enough for Ruby to live there for at least a few more years. She was terrified, but didn’t show it as she held out her hands to be cuffed. 

The two were quite the scene as they walked to the boarding area on the side of the floating city. Everyone whispered, or yelled, over and at them. Dia cursed their sensitive ears, just let her leave without causing a scene. It pissed her off, it was none of their business to begin with. Ayase paid them no mind, herding Dia with practised control. Had they met like this many years ago, Dia would’ve nearly fainted. Ayase was everything she wanted to be: strong, respected, a perfect Commander, and pretty too. Now all Dia felt was a feeling of disconnect, back home her once Commander would smile, ask about her mission and how her family was. Now that was gone, understandably so, but still saddening.

 

* * *

 

Their trip was short, quiet, and nerve-wracking. Why Dia wasn’t just dumped out in the middle of flight was beyond her, but seeing a lilac planet slowly inch closer was more daunting than any other planet she landed on. It was abandoned, with a reflective surface as far as the eye could see. When she was led outside, she noted it was water. Lukewarm, a blessing compared to how unbearably hot the air was. Ayase followed behind her, equally miffed about the heat. The blade came into view again, this time buzzing as it heated up. 

“If you keep still it won’t hurt.” Ayase grabbed the horn that protruded from Dia’s head, swiftly cutting it off with one fluid motion. This action would forever mark her as an exile, the point of no return. Dia looked at the translucent thing, it looked awkward now, as if it didn’t deserve to be cut off. It did.

The handcuffs came off next, and Dia shook her wrists lightly. Looking around, there really was nothing to see but water and rocks. Everything was the same lilac color, it was disorienting. Something stirred the water much further in the distance. 

“Goodbye Commander.” Dia said, hearing footsteps through the water.

“Anything to say to the Emperor?” Her commander sounded more like her joking self, the one Dia knew and loved. “I suppose I can be a tad more lenient, you were my model trainee after all. It’s such a waste of life. I thought you were above forgetting orders.”

“Things happen. I hate making that decision too. And tell the Emperor… Well, I think you can think of an appropriate phrase. Thanks in advance, Eli.” Eli just snorted.

“Well then, this  _ will _ hurt.” She just said, and for a moment Dia felt a sharp, hot pain in her back. Then she felt herself fall into the water, and then the world went from a blurry lilac to a quiet black.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [ **:^)** ](http://konolines.tumblr.com/post/159734713930/anyway-uhhh-sorry-i-guess)


	8. It was all over a mine - Umi

“So we’re going on our first mission outside of the Solar System too?” Honoka bounced around Umi, unable to contain her endless excitement. Umi smiled at her friend, still feeling the high of passing their Class-3 License test. Though she was a lot more reserved in her glee. “That’s so awesome! I’ve heard stories of pilots with our licenses waiting for years to leave the System.” 

Honoka almost danced into Dr. Nishikino’s office. Maki looked slightly annoyed with the two of them coming in unannounced, but Umi spied the corners of her lips lifting slightly. Kotori sat on a chair in the office, Honoka was shaking her around by now.

“Hey! She’s still recovering, stop doing that.” Maki called out, realizing just what Honoka was doing right now.

“Is she getting better?” Umi asked, wishing to get closer to Kotori. Their friend came down with a mysterious disease recently, and because she wasn’t 100% human she was quarantined for a week now. This was the first time Umi and Honoka saw her again.

“Yes, she’s cleared for release today. I still think this was very extreme for what was essentially a cold. But rules are rules.”

Kotori was smiling at the news, her eyes half-closed like she was going to fall asleep again. She blinked when Umi looked at her. Umi nodded in return. Honoka’s face lit up again, and she held up Kotori’s coat, which hung on the wall of the office. Maki must have brought it in here when she fetched Kotori from her room.

“Are there any limitations on what I can do?” Kotori asked. Her voice sounded a little croaky, but her usual, more chipper self, shone through again. It was reassuring, Umi couldn’t imagine going on a mission without Kotori. Honoka was a capable person, but Umi’s ship needed three people to operate its systems. Not to mention the invaluable feeling of working with your two best friends.

“None, just try to get enough sleep for a week. If the coughing returns, make sure to contact us immediately. If that’s all, you can leave. I’ve got a lot of check-ups, I think they’re sending me out soon too.” Maki sighed. “So I’m a little busy right now, I’ll see you three when I have time again.

Umi nodded. “Good luck, Dr. Nishikino.”

“Good luck Maki-chan!” “Good luck doctor, thanks again.”

 

* * *

 

Umi looked at her ship, white and blue, proud to have finally earned her own. Her father always said she was made to do great things, and now she was finally at the point where she would become a worthy Captain, like so many of her family members before her. Standing there with Honoka and Kotori, it was as if the endless void of the Universe could not stop them from getting where they wanted to go. Eventually Honoka broke the silence.

“Not to uhh… ruin our moment, but shouldn’t we get going? They said it was kind of urgent that we came.”

“What were we sent to do anyway? I heard nothing on the radio or TV while I was in quarantine.”

“It’s a diplomatic issue regarding a mine.” Umi began to explain. “They’ve kept it under wraps for obvious reasons, but the Gemma Organization claims they have rights to it.”

“Which they don’t!” Honoka chimed in.

“That’s not for us to decide.” Umi continued. “They simply want backup in case the situation escalates.”

“But they still don’t own it! That mine was given to us, we’ve got the contracts and everything.” Honoka tried again, Umi didn’t voice her agreement. Better not fuel the fire any more, Kotori seemed to understand what was going on, so Umi could drop it.

“Honoka, I’d like for you to man the weapons. Kotori, you can operate the shield. I’ll do the piloting.”

 

* * *

 

The mine looked like a mess when they arrived several days later. Several Class-3 and Class-4 ships hung around the planet’s research facility. Umi recognized both Earth and Gemma ships, which were easily identified by their almost gem-like exterior plating. Their orders were to remain on stand-by. Honoka was using their communication device to talk to Kotori, discussing something about idols and their outfits. Umi didn’t know a thing about the subject, and failed to keep up with the conversation. Instead she watched the various Gemma ships, wondering what kind of lifeforms inhabited them. Nobody had ever seen one of their inhabitants before, but they were a military force to be reckoned with. Boasting an impressive amount of Class-4 ships and highly advanced weaponry, it was a miracle they didn’t just blow the Earth’s fleet to pieces.

Negotiations weren’t proceeding as fast as anyone hoped, and tensions began to run high as more time passed. Honoka was sitting with Umi in the pilot’s room, when a message was broadcast to their ship.

“Pilots and crew from The Earth Federation of Space Exploration and Gemma Organization, we are pleased to announce that we have reached an agreement. From today onward, this planet and its Solar System belong to Earth. Both leaders have given the order for all standby ships to return to their former post.”

Honoka stretched out. “Finally! I was starting to worry that they would make us stay here forever.”

“I agree, I’m pleased that we didn’t resort to any kind of violence” Umi felt relief wash over her. Maybe the mine wasn’t of any value to the Gemma Organization after all.

 

* * *

 

“Again, tensions run high as Gemma Organization ships circle through the Solar System. After the destruction of-”

The TV recording was turned off. Umi stood between Honoka and Kotori, watching as orders were passed around between the fifty people in the room. They were the last pilots and crewmembers that were still on standby. All other available ships were in the planet’s orbit right now, Earth’s response to being ‘invaded’ by presumed hostile ships. Ever since the Gemma Organization decided to bomb the mine they gave away several months ago, Earth had decided that the best course of action was to defend itself. Many people had already fled to New Earth, the Earth Federation’s second planet. Umi was handed a file, their mission actually involved going to New Earth and ask them for backup.

“They’re going to declare war on us soon.” Their general said to the three of them. “They already have, the World Leaders just haven’t accepted it yet. I need you three to succeed, we cannot afford to lose Earth.”

“We won’t disappoint, Sir.” Umi held her head high, Kotori and Honoka did the same.

 

* * *

 

If only she could’ve seen into the future. Perhaps things would have taken a different turn...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading, and all the lovely comments you have all left me :>  
> I'm a little blocked on some of the drafts that I have for future chapters (including finishing this one), but hopefully I'll be able to finish some others this week? (?) (Particularly one for Ruby after last chapter, lol)


	9. The search is on - Ruby

Ruby stared at the machine in front of her, if it had eyes it would probably look at her in the same way that her boss did. Or not, it was a machine after all. Ruby flipped a switch and it whirred to life softly, unaware of the world around it. It wasn’t like her to be this mopey and sad, but could she be anything else when her sister vanished? Her boss tried to convince her that she was still alive somewhere, fighting to free herself. Ruby clung to that hope deep down, but she was also fully aware that she and Dia were delaying their execution. She got to work, work was usually distracting.

She couldn’t focus, of course, her thoughts wandered to Dia. It had been at least a week since she sent her last message to Ruby. She had been taken by Ayase Eli, once their… No, Dia’s Commander. Her message was short, and filled with spelling errors, but it’s message was clear. Live your life, and try to be happy. But she couldn’t be happy, not without knowing of her sister’s fate. Not on this planet, where they knew she was. A prick on her finger brought Ruby back to the reality of her sewing machine. Her almost translucent green blood dripped on the fabric she was working on and her finger  _ hurt _ . Her boss tapped one of her feet and then walked up to where Ruby was working.

“You can take the day off if you’d like. You’re not feeling well Ruby, I’m worried about you...”

“I-It’s alright, I just got a little distracted. I’m sorry, I’ll pay more attention…”

Her boss closed her many eyes, and walked to the counter. Ruby started to work with new, clean fabric. Not much later a huge creature walked in. Dressed in expensive black clothes, with a blue trim. They took off their hat and greeted the boss, who blinked in greeting. Another person dressed in black and blue walked in, almost a smaller copy of the other one. 

“Watanabe, it’s good to see you again. How’s business?” The boss began, Ruby returned to her sewing.

“As good as ever!” The larger one’s voice was loud. “Yō did an amazing job for her first time.”

The smaller one showed it’s teeth when it was mentioned, Yō like the larger one called them. Yō seemed proud of her achievement, but Ruby didn’t feel much for it right now. This reminded her too much of Dia proudly announcing that their first mission was such a huge success… Ruby turned off her sewing machine, she couldn’t work like this.

“Ruby, would you mind fetching the orders for Watanabe?” The boss said, noticing she stopped working. “They should be on the table. Take the day off after that.” 

Big Watanabe looked in her direction, then whispered something to the boss when Ruby headed into the back of the store. Off-limits for customers, Ruby could press her hands against the side of her head and let out a few tears. She was blessed that the boss was so good at reading her mood. The orders for Watanabe were a set of uniforms, the same black and blue as they were already wearing. The clothes were heavy, but seeing how big Watanabe was, Ruby understood why.

The Big Watanabe was still talking to her boss when she came back. Yō was leaning against the wall next to the door, looking at Ruby as she walked back in the room. 

“Let me help you with that.” And without any effort, Yō took the heavy clothes out of Ruby’s hands. “There, I know how heavy they can get.”

“Thank you.” Ruby said, feeling a rush of air from where Yō swung her tail.

 

* * *

 

Yō stepped out of the changing room in her new outfit. Her father had commissioned it, apparently the boss was once on his crew, though she let Ruby make the actual outfit. Apparently both Watanabe’s were impressed by it, Yō seemed to almost burst out of happiness, while her father was singing his praise onto Ruby. It was the first time in a while that Ruby felt so genuinely happy with both her work and herself. Usually customers just left without trying out what she made, and then never came back for any sort of critique or praise. Ruby moved to go get her coat and bag and head back home, but a heavy hand on her shoulder stopped her before she could even turn to leave.

“Say, Ruby wasn’t it? Ruby, I heard a little about you from Hifumi. I’m truly sorry about your sister, and I can only offer my sincerest apologies. I heard you want to look for her though.” Ruby looked Watanabe in the eyes, seeing nothing but sincerity in them. “I think we can help with that. See, we run… Well, I should not sugarcoat it. We are pirates, but we travel all over. But we also like to look good going about our business. So I want to make a deal, you come work for us as a tailor on our main ship. In exchange we will offer you any of the benefits of a crew member, and I will send ships to try and track down your sister.”

Ruby’s heart started pounding hard. A job  _ and _ a chance to find Dia? She wasn’t going to find something like this that easily. Again, her boss was such a blessing for her! This would be the thing she needed to prove to Dia that she was her strong, little sister. 

“I know this may be a tough-”

“I’ll do it!” Ruby said, loudly. She then covered her mouth, realizing she spoke to soon. Yō and her father laughed however, even her boss was smiling a little.

“It’s decided then!” Watanabe was back to his usual loud voice. “From now on, you’re a part of the Watanabe crew! We’ll help you move your stuff to our ship. We leave tomorrow morning, she make sure you say goodbye to your friends.”

Ruby hugged her boss, feeling tears rolling down her face. She was feeling too emotional to do more than choke out a few words.

“T-Thank you so much for all you’ve done.” Ruby could hear squeaking in her own voice, and one of her ears was pressing into one of her boss’ eyes, but it was okay. Everything would be okay now, she would find Dia and then everything would be okay again.

“It was no problem… I wish you luck with your new job, and with finding Dia.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh hey, I'm living again! Didn't expect to not write at all for this long lol.  
> I'm not too happy with this chapter, but that's something I say a lot...  
> Anyway! Idk if I'll update this soon (I hope I will) because I am working on something else that's love live related, but I want to finish it all before I post it~ (It's not coming along as fast as I hoped though :< )


	10. Goodbye - Dia & Mari

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the lack of updates, got an explaination about things at the end of this chapter.

“You can almost look through it!” Dia felt a finger going through the hole in her ear. Even modern healing couldn’t make this feel like an awful sensation, and it took all her willpower to not slap her friend’s hand away.

“Mari… Please don’t do that, it’s still sensitive.”

Mari’s hand retracted, and she giggled. 

“Sorry Dia, it’s just so cool! What kind of fight did you get into to get a scar like that?”

“I tripped and it got caught on a sharp rock.”

“Ugh, you could’ve at least tried to make it sound more flashy! You could totally tell Ruby that you fought your fellow trainees, she’ll eat it up.”

Dia sighed. “I’m not going to lie and make my sister worry because I misjudged a jump.”

Mari just continued to giggle. In a way she always seemed to act like she was still a child, even with her often disguised brilliance. Dia knew Mari would be a fine leader, just like Mari’s father, The Emperor of Gemma. 

The warm air in the gardens behind the palace was pleasant. It was a rare moment that Dia and Mari could be together like this, either Mari was busy studying or Dia was stuck training non-stop at the base. Dia liked being here, in these gardens. Plants from all over their planet (and many, many other planets) were kept here, a sign of how rich The Emperor’s family was. Mari seemed to like it less and less every time Dia visited.

Even now she could see the sadness in how Mari carried herself. When was the last time she was truly happy?

“How’s Ruby doing, she’s going to start training with you soon, correct?”

Dia didn’t like that Ruby wanted the same career that Dia pursued. She wanted to do something with fashion and clothes. But Dia did not like the idea of being separated from the only family she had left, and perhaps that clouded her judgement when she approved and signed Ruby’s registration form. But that was her concern, nothing Mari had to worry about too.

“Yes, she wants to be an onboard medic. Though I think she might end up doing tracker training on the side. I think… No, nevermind.”

Some of Dia’s concerns were better left unspoken. Mari didn’t need to know how Dia felt about her father’s ideals. The two fell into silence again, Dia silently looking at Mari’s horn. By now it was easy to tell that it was two-pronged, maybe when she became an adult it would look even more impressive. 

“You know, just between us.” Mari’s words sounded practised, carefully selected, so unlike the Mari that spontaneously thought of her sentences. “I’ve been thinking about leaving this place.”

Dia didn’t have the words to respond, Mari continued.

“I just… I just don’t think I want to follow in my father’s footsteps. Something terrible is going to happen, and I do not want to clean up the mess that is going to be left behind. I’m leaving before the sun rises again.”

“Something… terrible? And you’re leaving!? Mari!” Dia was furious. “You can’t just do that!”

“I just have an awful feeling, Dia. You should come with me, we can run away together.”

“I’m not… Argh!” Dia kicked the dust below her feet, a stone scraped against the bottom of her foot. “You cannot be serious!”

Mari didn’t look at her anymore. The sight brought Dia back to her senses, though she was still irritated. Leaving was no option for her, she couldn’t do something like that to Ruby. Leaving herself to an unknown future was no problem, but she could not stand herself if she endangered her sister. Both of them had a good career ahead of them, she couldn’t throw it away on a whim, even if it was the whims of her best friend. 

“I’m sorry Mari, but I have to decline your offer.”

“That’s alright, I guess it was a crazy thing to ask like this.” Mari shoved something into Dia’s hand, her voice unsteady. “If we ever meet again, sometime in the far future, let’s treat each other as friends, promise?” 

“Promise.”

Both of them were a little teary eyed. Mari went back inside with some escorts, there was almost no semblance of a farewell. Maybe that was the best way to part. Dia remained in a garden that suddenly lost all it’s luster. She watched some brightly colored flowers that were growing in a greenhouse close to where she was. Tulips, she remembered The Emperor showing them to her and Mari a long time ago. Flowers from Earth, from some miniscule country Dia could not remember the name of anymore, but they came in almost any imaginable color. It was weird to think that so many flowers from who knows where were all growing here. Perhaps one day Dia could see some of them on their home planet, in a time where she was free of worries.

Perhaps that would be the day she would have the same courage as Mari had.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Long time no update, huh. I've recently gotten a prescription for a higher dose for my meds, they work like a charm but they make writing (and all the planning for writing) really hard somehow? (Also I've been doing more personal stuff, got a lot going on rn) Putting out this chapter was hell despite it being so short. Also I'm just playing video games/drawing rather than writing, hehe... (And now my arm's in a brace so it's all just working against me here)
> 
> Hopefully I can pick up stuff again soon, thank you for reading and sticking with me, it all means a lot to me. And sorry for rambling, I prefer to keep my personal life on my personals but I feel bad for being so spotty.


	11. It's coming soon

A shot barely missed Rin’s arms, singing the very tips of her fur before exploding against the wall behind her. From somewhere she heard Chika yell, and several shots were fired. Chika could handle herself against one crew member, and Rin had plenty of bruises that could confirm it. While the gunner in front of Rin was backing away to reload, she shot forward, performing a series of maneuvers with the ship’s walls that would leave even Nico impressed (though she would never admit it). Landing her feet on the gunner’s chest and arm, she knocked them to the ground and disarmed their suit and took their gun. The last thing she wanted was to be shot in the back. Nico might have a no-killing policy but not many rogue crews shared those ideas, and guns sell well on the market.

Rin proceeded to dash through the ship, eventually running into Chika again. The girl had a series of shallow cuts on her arm and face, they’d have to wrap up soon or things could get rather nasty for the newest member. Rin drew her own gun, blasting open the door to the pilot’s room. 

The pilot had already raised their hands in surrender, and Rin neither saw or heard anybody else in the room. She didn’t lower her weapon however, and with a signal of her tail she told Chika not to do so either.

“W...What do you want.” The pilot said. “We have nothing of value for you  _ pirates _ .”

“Then we’ll take your weapons.” Rin responded, bringing the pilot’s attention to the gun she took. “You’ve got quite the fancy models, you sure you don’t carry anything else of value?”

The pilot simply stared them down, Rin didn’t like this. That gun, and the suits the crew wore, were of a quality Rin had only ever seen in the high-end stores of very rich planets.

“We got those through a deal. Now leave, or I’ll send out a signal.” The pilot hissed. Without lowering their guns, Rin directed Chika back to the ship’s teleporter.

***

“Nice work out there, you two.” Nico was grinning when they stepped back out of the teleporter on their ship. “Chika, go see Maki. Rin, come with me for a second.”

“You heard her kid, I’ll see you later!” Rin pushed Chika in the direction of Maki’s office, Nico waited till Chika was gone before she walked into their ship’s pilot room.

“We’ve been on a dry spell lately.” She said. “Security’s gotten tighter on cargo ships recently. Not to mention that their weaponry and shield capacity increased too.”

Rin put the guns she and Chika had collected on the table. Nico’s eyes lit up a little as she saw them, but Rin knew she had a point. Piracy was a quick way to earn a little extra, but it had become impossible lately. Maki had suggested over and over that they just give up the trade, while Nico insisted that they’d find their luck if they just kept moving. Rin could only wonder how terrible the morale would be if those two were left on their own.

“I’ve been considering what Maki has been telling me for the past two years… Er, well, I suppose you count by Earth years too now.” Rin laughed softly, and Nico continued. “We’re not changing what we’re doing now, but change might be coming. But we have more pressing matters on our hands, or ship.” 

“You mean what’s up with Chika?”

“Yeah. She never tells us anything about her mission. Confidential or not, we might be at risk for just having her here. I don’t like being secretive-”

“Well, we  _ are _ pirates right now.” Rin interrupted, Nico just grumbled.

“Just. Just keep an eye on her, I’ve asked Maki the same. ‘Don’t make her suspicious, but if she presents an opportunity I want you to take it.’” 

“I’ll try, maybe she’ll trust me with it! I’m preeetty sure I’m her best friend on this ship. She always comes to me first with questions~”

Nico just shook her head and chuckled. “I’m certain that’s just because you’re the only one lazing in the kitchen all day. Now, go do something else. I’m certain your ‘best friend’ wants to actually hang out with you.” Rin knew Nico wasn’t being serious.

“Aww, but you’re my best friend too, Nicooo~” She moved closer to hug her small friend. “You and Maki are both my best friends! But if you feel left out I can totally stay here all day! I know you like my company!” 

Nico pushed under Rin’s muzzle, trying to make her let go. “Save that mushy shit for your girlfriend and I’ll let you stay here. I’ve got an exclusive concert recording, and I don’t need your fur in my face for the duration.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Long time no see! Things have been getting better (I feel), but my writing muse still hasn't entirely returned. I'm hoping that by writing other things + going on vacation next week, I get back into writing because there's a lot I still wanna write~ (Mostly LL crossovers that I can't get out of planning phases)


End file.
